Vulval cancer
Survival depends on different factors. So no one can tell you exactly how long you will live.
Doctors usually work out the outlook for a certain disease by looking at large groups of people. Because this cancer is less common, survival is harder to estimate than for other, more common cancers.
Some of the statistics have to be based on a small number of people. Remember, they can't tell you what will happen in your individual case.
Your doctor can give you more information about your own outlook ( ).
The terms 1 year survival and 5 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1 or 5 years.
The NHS, other health organisations, and researchers collect information. They record what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.
5 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 years after diagnosis.
The stage of a cancer tells you about its size and whether it has spread. Your outlook (prognosis) depends on the stage of your cancer at diagnosis.
There are no UK-wide statistics available for vulval cancer survival by stage.
5 year survival statistics are available for some stages of vulval cancer in England. These figures are for people diagnosed between 2013 and 2017. These 5 year statistics are non-age-standardised which means they don't take into account the age of the women with vulval cancer.
Stage 1
Around 80 out of every 100 women with stage 1 vulval cancer (around 80%) will survive for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed.
Stage 2
Around 50 out of every 100 women with stage 2 vulval cancer (around 50%) will survive for 5 years or more.
Stage 3
Around 40 out of every 100 women with stage 3 vulval cancer (around 40%) will survive for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
Stage 4
The Office for National Statistics doesn't provide 5 year survival statistics for stage 4 vulval cancer. The following statistics are for 1 year survival for people with stage 4 vulval cancer.
Please remember, this doesn't mean you will only live 1 year. It relates to the number of people who are still alive 1 year after their diagnosis of cancer. Some of these people will live much longer than 1 year.
More than 40 out of 100 people with stage 4 vulval cancer (more than 40%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after their diagnosis.
Generally, for women with vulval cancer in England:
around 85 out of 100 women (around 85%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after diagnosis
more than 65 out of 100 women (more than 65%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis
Melanoma of the vulva is very rare so it is difficult to find statistics for survival.
Read more about melanoma of the vulva
There are no UK-wide survival statistics available for vulval melanoma. The statistics below are from a small English study. Please be aware that due to differences in health care systems, data collection and the population, these figures may not be a true picture of survival in the UK
5 year survival
15 out of 100 women (15%) survive their vulval melanoma for 5 years or more
Your outcome depends on different factors including your age. Studies have shown that women diagnosed with vulval cancer at a younger age, have a better outcome than those diagnosed later.
Other factors include:
the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed. This means how big it is and whether it has spread.
the type of vulval cancer you have
how abnormal the cancer cells look under the microscope. This is the grade of the cancer.
Find out more about the types, stages and grades of vulval cancer
For more in-depth information about survival and vulval cancer, go to our Cancer Statistics section.
Last reviewed: 03 Sept 2023
Next review due: 02 Sept 2026
Vulval cancer is when abnormal cells in the vulva start to divide and grow in an uncontrolled way.
You usually start by seeing your GP. They ask about your symptoms and examine you. Your GP then decides whether to refer you to a specialist.
Your treatment depends on a number of factors. Surgery is the most common treatment for vulval cancer.
Not everyone diagnosed with vulval cancer will have symptoms. Things to look out for include an open sore or lesion in the vulva.
Coping with vulval cancer can be difficult. There is help and support available to help you.
Vulval cancer is a rare cancer. It can start in any part of the female external sex organs, the vulva. The treatment you need depends on how big the cancer is and whether it has spread.
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